This is an application for a Geriatric Academic Career Leadership award (K07) submitted to the National Institute on Aging. The applicant, Dr. Laura N. Gitlin, seeks funding to advance the research and training capacity in aging of the newly formed Senior Health Institute of Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and the Jefferson Health System (JHS). The Senior Health Institute (SHI) represents the integration of an academic institution with a large health system in the Philadelphia region. It involves individuals from TJU and JHS with a long-standing commitment to geriatrics and gerontology and strong track records for funded research. However, an infrastructure to coordinate and advance aging research and education activities across departments and institutions is lacking. With this award Dr. Gitlin seeks to enhance and integrate the capacity of the SHI for multidisciplinary social, behavioral, clinical and biological research; advance a program of research on community and home-based interventions; and expand and integrate academic training in aging for medical, nursing, occupational therapy, and physical therapy students, and geriatric fellows. A central focus of the proposed research program is on independent living and includes topics related to functional performance and its measurement, physical and psychological consequences of age-related illness and disability, and innovative health and human service interventions for successful aging in place among diverse populations. To achieve these goals, five specific aims will be pursued: 1) build an infrastructure that links TJU and JHS researchers in aging and establishes system-wide mechanisms to support research; 2) implement a "research to practice" program that guides formation of research questions relevant to intervention research on independent living, 3) expand the capacity to conduct intervention research on community and home care issues; 4) expand undergraduate and graduate education for health professional students to include certificate training; and 5) integrated and enhance training of geriatric fellows in intervention research. To accomplish these objectives, a set of integrated activities is planned that includes developing a web page and newsletter; forming multidisciplinary research teams on topics related to independent living; conducting a needs assessment of research and outcome needs of community-based service programs; developing guidelines for accessing community populations; providing pilot research and mentorship experiences; conducting continuing education and faculty development workshops; and developing a seminar series on intervention methodology. It is anticipated that at the conclusion of the grant program the SHI will have an active research program that is multidisciplinary, nationally recognized, and addresses critical issues in independent living.